'Got to gut Trump': Prof. warns Harris is 'playing it safe' — and it could be disastrous

Kamala Harris' reliance on the “joyful warrior” approach — and a reluctance to go for Donald Trump’s jugular — is what could lose her the election, a political scientist warned Tuesday.

Speaking to Salon, Professor M. Steven Fish of the University of California, Berkeley, said the Democrat’s reluctance to mobilize a full on attack in the last few weeks of the election cycle could prove disastrous.

"If the candidates are unwilling to say anything new and provocative, the media will focus on their misstatements and artless dodges,” he said.

“... Playing it safe is the most dangerous thing Harris can do."

Fish celebrated Harris’ introduction to the race, replacing Biden in a wave of enthusiasm and excitement which he said she handled masterfully.

But since then, she’s let the momentum slow and hasn’t been able to dominate the news cycle, while Trump has upped his game with bombastic and hyperbolic statements that fill the airwaves every day.

“They started sinking back into their old risk-aversion, lying low and hoping Trump would discredit himself,” he said of Harris' campaign.

“ … Her success will depend on what she says and how she says it. In recent interviews she has made a habit of stonewalling, dodging and reformulating questions to render them amenable to stock, scripted responses.

“When she was confronted with this matter recently, she said that her approach was a sign of discipline. She might see it that way, but many voters — including those she most needs to impress — are more likely to see it as annoying and craven. Warriors don’t lack the courage to answer questions directly.”

Fish said what is vital in the last weeks is that Harris and her running mate Gov. Tim Walz (MN) stay on the attack against Trump while highlighting inspirational stories about themselves.

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“If they do that, they will command coverage across all media,” he said.

“You’d think the Democrats would get this all the more, since when they did bear down on ridiculing Trump it worked magnificently and Harris shot up in the polls. The proof of concept could not be clearer.

“But after mid-September, the Democrats seemed to fall back on their old fear-driven messaging: How will Trump’s campaign react? Will voters turn against us if we admit a past mistake? Won’t Trump’s base be so offended by attacks on their hero that they’ll rush to the polls in record numbers?”

“... Harris can’t expect to prevail if she falls back on the Democrats’ old practice of standing back and ceding the spotlight, hoping that it will be enough to just let Trump be Trump.”

He said the next 15 days are crucial, and Harris and Walz should lead brutal attacks aimed at finishing Trump.

“They’ve got to gut Trump while telling their own compelling personal stories, loud and clear,” he concluded.